Elections / 1980 · President · CA
California — 1980 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1980 presidential electionCalifornia · PresidentReaganR+16.8
How it voted
Share of the 1980 vote
| Ronald Reagan ✓Republican | 52.7% | 4,524,858 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy CarterDemocratic | 35.9% | 3,083,641 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 11.4% | 977,302 |
1980presidential margin
D+60R+60
58 counties, each filled by 1980 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
California cast 45 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (58 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | Democratic | D+10.3 |
| Alpine County, CA | Republican | R+26.2 |
| Amador County, CA | Republican | R+22.9 |
| Butte County, CA | Republican | R+28.3 |
| Calaveras County, CA | Republican | R+29.0 |
| Colusa County, CA | Republican | R+25.9 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | Republican | R+12.8 |
| Del Norte County, CA | Republican | R+24.0 |
| El Dorado County, CA | Republican | R+28.7 |
| Fresno County, CA | Republican | R+10.7 |
| Glenn County, CA | Republican | R+38.0 |
| Humboldt County, CA | Republican | R+14.2 |
| Imperial County, CA | Republican | R+19.0 |
| Inyo County, CA | Republican | R+38.9 |
| Kern County, CA | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Kings County, CA | Republican | R+17.0 |
| Lake County, CA | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Lassen County, CA | Republican | R+18.6 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | Republican | R+10.0 |
| Madera County, CA | Republican | R+14.2 |
| Marin County, CA | Republican | R+9.6 |
| Mariposa County, CA | Republican | R+21.3 |
| Mendocino County, CA | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Merced County, CA | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Modoc County, CA | Republican | R+38.3 |
| Mono County, CA | Republican | R+37.0 |
| Monterey County, CA | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Napa County, CA | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Nevada County, CA | Republican | R+28.9 |
| Orange County, CA | Republican | R+45.3 |
| Placer County, CA | Republican | R+21.1 |
| Plumas County, CA | Republican | R+15.6 |
| Riverside County, CA | Republican | R+28.4 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Republican | R+7.4 |
| San Benito County, CA | Republican | R+17.2 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | Republican | R+28.0 |
| San Diego County, CA | Republican | R+33.5 |
| San Francisco County, CA | Democratic | D+20.6 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | Republican | R+19.8 |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Republican | R+26.1 |
| San Mateo County, CA | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Republican | R+22.5 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Shasta County, CA | Republican | R+25.7 |
| Sierra County, CA | Republican | R+11.9 |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Republican | R+21.9 |
| Solano County, CA | Republican | R+12.4 |
| Sonoma County, CA | Republican | R+12.0 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | Republican | R+9.4 |
| Sutter County, CA | Republican | R+36.0 |
| Tehama County, CA | Republican | R+27.9 |
| Trinity County, CA | Republican | R+23.7 |
| Tulare County, CA | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | Republican | R+20.9 |
| Ventura County, CA | Republican | R+30.7 |
| Yolo County, CA | Democratic | D+3.9 |
| Yuba County, CA | Republican | R+21.6 |
Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Ronald Reagan (R)
California's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1980 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
County-by-county results — 58 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | D | 201,720 | 158,531 | 417,617 | |
| Alpine County | R | 133 | 254 | 461 | |
| Amador County | R | 3,191 | 5,401 | 9,670 | |
| Butte County | R | 19,520 | 38,188 | 66,012 | |
| Calaveras County | R | 3,076 | 6,054 | 10,275 | |
| Colusa County | R | 1,605 | 2,897 | 4,995 | |
| Contra Costa County | R | 107,398 | 144,112 | 287,545 | |
| Del Norte County | R | 2,338 | 4,016 | 6,987 | |
| El Dorado County | R | 10,765 | 21,238 | 36,449 | |
| Fresno County | R | 65,254 | 82,515 | 161,386 | |
| Glenn County | R | 2,227 | 5,386 | 8,312 | |
| Humboldt County | R | 17,113 | 24,047 | 48,692 | |
| Imperial County | R | 7,961 | 12,068 | 21,579 | |
| Inyo County | R | 2,080 | 5,201 | 8,027 | |
| Kern County | R | 41,097 | 72,842 | 122,121 | |
| Kings County | R | 7,299 | 10,531 | 19,021 | |
| Lake County | R | 5,978 | 8,934 | 16,654 | |
| Lassen County | R | 2,941 | 4,464 | 8,198 | |
| Los Angeles County | R | 979,830 | 1,224,533 | 2,440,185 | |
| Madera County | R | 7,783 | 10,599 | 19,780 | |
| Marin County | R | 39,231 | 49,678 | 108,507 | |
| Mariposa County | R | 1,889 | 3,082 | 5,608 | |
| Mendocino County | R | 10,784 | 12,432 | 28,224 | |
| Merced County | R | 15,886 | 18,043 | 36,996 | |
| Modoc County | R | 1,046 | 2,579 | 4,000 | |
| Mono County | R | 865 | 2,132 | 3,421 | |
| Monterey County | R | 29,086 | 47,452 | 86,794 | |
| Napa County | R | 14,898 | 23,632 | 44,035 | |
| Nevada County | R | 7,605 | 15,207 | 26,261 | |
| Orange County | R | 176,704 | 529,797 | 780,212 | |
| Placer County | R | 17,311 | 28,179 | 51,440 | |
| Plumas County | R | 2,911 | 4,182 | 8,161 | |
| Riverside County | R | 76,650 | 145,642 | 243,278 | |
| Sacramento County | R | 130,031 | 153,721 | 322,120 | |
| San Benito County | R | 2,749 | 4,054 | 7,602 | |
| San Bernardino County | R | 91,790 | 172,957 | 289,812 | |
| San Diego County | R | 195,410 | 435,910 | 716,866 | |
| San Francisco County | D | 133,184 | 80,967 | 254,028 | |
| San Joaquin County | R | 41,551 | 64,718 | 116,863 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | R | 20,508 | 38,631 | 69,527 | |
| San Mateo County | R | 87,335 | 116,491 | 238,637 | |
| Santa Barbara County | R | 40,650 | 69,629 | 128,995 | |
| Santa Clara County | R | 166,995 | 229,048 | 477,003 | |
| Santa Cruz County | R | 32,346 | 37,347 | 85,804 | |
| Shasta County | R | 15,364 | 27,547 | 47,418 | |
| Sierra County | R | 651 | 855 | 1,718 | |
| Siskiyou County | R | 5,664 | 9,331 | 16,738 | |
| Solano County | R | 30,952 | 40,919 | 80,676 | |
| Sonoma County | R | 45,596 | 60,722 | 125,985 | |
| Stanislaus County | R | 33,683 | 41,595 | 84,186 | |
| Sutter County | R | 5,103 | 11,778 | 18,557 | |
| Tehama County | R | 4,832 | 9,140 | 15,457 | |
| Trinity County | R | 1,734 | 3,048 | 5,546 | |
| Tulare County | R | 25,155 | 41,317 | 70,846 | |
| Tuolumne County | R | 5,449 | 8,810 | 16,063 | |
| Ventura County | R | 56,311 | 114,930 | 190,650 | |
| Yolo County | D | 21,527 | 19,603 | 49,690 | |
| Yuba County | R | 4,896 | 7,942 | 14,111 |
Same ballot, 1980CA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1980 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.